Democratic U.S. presidential candidate John Edwards on Sunday said that he would raise taxes, chiefly on the wealthy, to pay for expanded healthcare coverage under a plan costing $90 billion to $120 billion a year to be unveiled on Monday.
"We'll have to raise taxes. The only way you can pay for a healthcare plan that cost anywhere from $90 to $120 billion is there has to be a revenue source," Edwards said on NBC's Meet the Press news program.
The 2004 vice presidential nominee and former North Carolina senator said his plan would "get rid of George Bush's tax cuts for people who make over $200,000 a year."
He said the plan would also reduce healthcare costs.
"Finally we need to do a much better job of collecting the taxes that are already owed," he said, specifically targeting what he said are large amounts of unpaid capital gains taxes.
"We should have brokerage houses report the capital gains that people are incurring because we're losing billions and billions of dollars in tax revenue," Edwards said.
Offering a preview of his plan, Edwards said it aims to bring healthcare coverage to 47 million uninsured Americans, lower costs for the middle class and foster competition.
It would expand Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance plan for the needy, and offer subsidies for the uninsured. He said, "We ask employers to play a bigger role, which means they either have to have coverage or they have to buy into what we're calling health markets."
Without providing details, Edwards said his plan would create "health markets" nationwide. One choice available in the markets would be "the government plan, so people who like the idea of a single-payer health insurance plan, that is actually one of the alternatives," he said.
Edwards declared his candidacy in December calling for fewer U.S. troops in Iraq, a restoration of U.S. world leadership and an end to poverty.
#9
All democrats should be taxed 85% of their income and three organs of our choice. After all, organ donation is for the /common good/. It's not like they need all their organs anyway.
Via Hugh Hewitt, here's an updating map of terrorist and suspicious events. Runs off the Google engine so you can scroll, and zoom in and out.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/04/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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#1
Thanks, Steve. I've been wanting something like this for sometime now. I put it 'My Favorites' and will check it each day-- after Rantburg and Lucianne, of course. If Silvestre Reyes and Nancy Pelosi would check this they may learn that the battlefield is NOT limited to Iraq and Afghanistan.
#2
Thyey'll never go to the website, they only want to hear their version of "truth", real truth only upsets them, it doesn't jive with their version, so it MUST be wrong.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/04/2007 15:17 Comments ||
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#3
It's a global quagmire!
Posted by: john ||
02/04/2007 16:03 Comments ||
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#4
Yes, global incident is neat as a coupeler to rantburg of corse. The board usually on my screen may be found at:
#5
This is obviously a page inspired by racism and capitalist oppression, and, like, theocracy, ma-a-a-a-n. There is no WoT, just Bush and Halliburton harshing my mellow.
/sarcasm off
Posted by: no mo uro ||
02/04/2007 17:19 Comments ||
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#6
Jim, you overrate Pelosi. It's not that she doesn't believe that terrorism exists; it's just that there isn't anything in it for her, so who cares? You will find that to be a typical San Franicsco attitude about... well, everything.
Gaza is looking a lot like Beirut circa 1975 these days, if not present-day Baghdad. The streets are half-empty, there are barricades on the corners, militants in street clothes exchange fire with an unidentified enemy, men carry bleeding children to hospitals that are incapable of dealing with their patient load. The Palestinians are still one up on the other two conflicts, in that the religious and sectarian aspects of the conflict are less obvious. The warring parties share the same religion and nationality, which may be keeping the violence from erupting into another Iraq. There are no guarantees, however. Within Fatah, there are rumors that Hamas might use suicide bombers and car bombs against it.
How close is Israel to getting sucked into the Gazan vortex? Closer than one might think. Last week Israel declined to respond forcefully to the Islamic Jihad suicide bombing in Eilat, on the assumption that it was their own infighting that headlined the Palestinians' agenda. That approach could change, though, when the main obstacle to an Israel Defense Forces ground incursion into Gaza - the outgoing chief of staff, Dan Halutz - takes his leave. Central Command head Yoav Galant and, with certain reservations, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin both support military action in Gaza. The position of Gabi Ashkenazi, the incoming chief of staff, whose appointment will be submitted to the cabinet today for its approval, has not been determined.
A second Operation Defensive Shield in Gaza is in the pipeline, if not imminent. One of Halutz's final directives was to set a target date for completing the readiness of the relevant units. The army is prepared for the possibility that the intra-Palestinian conflict could spill over into a new Hamas and Islamic Jihad assault on Israel. The likelihood of this happening is not known. A great deal depends on the way the infighting within Gaza develops, but the army is determined not to be caught with its pants down this time.
If there is a ground incursion, it will focus on trying to stop the Hamas Qassam missile project, which has undergone significant developments in recent months. Some IDF officials believe that certain elements in Fatah are attempting, in a desperate move, to drag Israel into the conflict. The threat to the lives of senior Fatah officials in Gaza is more real than ever now, after the elimination by Hamas of several upper-middle-level Fatah activists. Fatah needs weapons, ammunition and protective clothing. If Israel does not provide them to it, Fatah would at least be grateful if it turns a blind eye to shipments from outside. For now, Israel is staying out of the game.
Fatah and Hamas yesterday concluded their ninth cease-fire in two weeks, with partial success: Only nine people were wounded in the past day, compared to 25 deaths and about 240 injured in the two days preceding that.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
That gun in the pictures foreground looks suspiciously homemade, (I could do better).
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/04/2007 15:20 Comments ||
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#2
Within Fatah, there are rumors that Hamas might use suicide bombers and car bombs against it.
#3
That looks like a Smith and Wesson Model 76 9mm SMG. If the owner had any sense, he'd auction it on ebay to buy tickets for his entire family out of that place.
Posted by: ed ||
02/04/2007 16:32 Comments ||
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#4
If the owner had any sense he wouldn't be planning to do battle with the IDF!
According to Wikipedia, willful blindness is a term used in law to describe a situation in which an individual seeks to avoid civil or criminal liability for a wrongful act by intentionally putting himself in a position where he is unaware of facts which would render him liable. When it comes to a broad spectrum of actions taken by Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, most of the world has chosen to ignore them, rendering themselves willfully blind.
Iran has been the most egregious. They openly fund and support Hezbollah; support insurgent groups in Iraq; instigate violence between factions in Gaza; assist the Palestinian Islamic Jihad with suicide bombings in Israel; promote anti-American sentimentality with countries in Latin America, most notably with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. More troubling, Iran is flaunting the development of nuclear capabilities. The American government has become aggressive in dealing with Iran in Iraq. Saudi Arabia has pushed back against Iran in Palestine by hosting meetings between Fatah and Hamas. What will it take for the international community to take their collective heads out of the sand and take serious actions against Iran? Hopefully, it won't be a nuclear incident.
Syria has continuously supported Hezbollah with funding, weapons, supplies and guidance. Likewise, Syria has assisted Hamas. Syria can be likened to a stalker for the manner in which it visibly lusts for possession of Lebanon. The assassinations of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hairi and Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel have each implicated Syria. What will it take for the international community to take their collective heads out of the sand and take serious actions against Syria? Hopefully, it won't be the overthrow of Lebanon.
Following the conflict with Israel, Hezbollah openly failed to disarm. In fact, they visibly rearmed with the aid of Iran and Syria. In provoking a conflict with Israel, Hezbollah was responsible for the devastation in Lebanon. Instead of being contrite, Hezbollah flaunted Iranian funding and provided money to Lebanese citizens to rebuild their homes and towns. In doing so, Hezbollah disingenuously made themselves out to be heroes instead of cowards. Hezbollah has since put pressure on the Lebanese government through protests and strikes in an attempt to overthrow the government. What will it take for the international community to take their collective heads out of the sand and take serious actions against Hezbollah? Hopefully, it won't be another deadly conflict with Israel.
At some point, the world community must insist that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah be responsible and accountable for their indiscretions. Continued willful blindness by the international community will only result in greater catastrophes.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2007 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Gaza is looking a lot like Beirut circa 1975 these days, if not present-day Baghdad. The streets are half-empty, there are barricades on the corners, militants in street clothes exchange fire with an unidentified enemy, men carry bleeding children to hospitals that are incapable of dealing with their patient load. The Palestinians are still one up on the other two conflicts, in that the religious and sectarian aspects of the conflict are less obvious. The warring parties share the same religion and nationality, which may be keeping the violence from erupting into another Iraq. There are no guarantees, however. Within Fatah, there are rumors that Hamas might use suicide bombers and car bombs against it. 
